Action toy



United States Patent 3,034,786 ACTION TOY George D. Eddy, 2505 N. Pine St., South San Gabriel, Calif., assignor of one-tenth to Orville R. Seidner, Alhambra, Calif.

Filed Nov. 2, 1959, Ser. No. 850,241 4 Claims. (Cl. 272-57) This invention relates to toys in general, and is more particularly concerned with an action toy of the type adapted to a further feature of a manifestation capable of being sensed, as for example, a noise, when the toy is put to use.

Since the disappearance from the childhood scene of the Independence Day red devils, children have not had at their disposal a toy or other means capable of emitting a snapping or crackling noise when placed between the foot and a sidewalk, for example, and thereafter supporting the child for a pirouette or whirling activity.

That is, there was no such toy until the advent of the present invention, which is particularly adapted to satisfy the craving urge of a child to whirl about or pirouette on one foot, the toy simultaneously emitting a snapping noise with perfect safety.

It is an object to provide an action toy adapted to provide a whirling or pirouette activity. It is a further object in such a toy to provide a sensible manifestation perceptible to one of the five senses when the toy is put to use. It is a particular object to provide the manifestation by way of a snapping noise.

It is a general object to provide a toy comprised of a pair of generally parallely disposed fiat plates, spaced apart by pedestal means, and including an interrupted surface defined by the pedestal, and further including a flat resilient spring fastened to one of the plates which is rotatable about an axis with respect to the other plate, whereby the free end of the spring will clack against the interrupted surface with a recurring snap when one plate is rotated about the axis relative to the other plate.

It is a further object to provide such a toy which may be advantageously adapted to a game of skill, particularly when the toys are used in multiple as will be described below in greater detail.

Other and further objects will be immediately apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the description below when taken in connection with the drawing wherein an embodiment of the invention is shown.

FIG. 1 is a representation of the invention in use;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view, partly in section, of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow 4 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 1, it is seen that a boy is represented as whirling around with the ball of his right foot resting on the toy device which is disposed on a floor, sidewalk, or the like. Since the device 10 will be subject to considerable stresses by the weight of the child using it, it is evident that it must be sturdily constructed and adapted to take the usual boy-handling punishment.

The embodiment shown was constructed of metal parts. However, the toy device 10 may be constructed entirely of metal, partly of metal and partly of plastic materials, or of substantially all plastic, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The device 10 is comprised of two similar plate like members 13 and 14, preferably of circular configuration. A gear 15 serves to holdthe members 13 and 14 in spaced apart relationship with a rivet 16 joining the parts together. As shown in the figures, the plate member 13 3,034,786 Patented May 15, 1962 is held by the rivet with a running fit clearance so that the member 13 is rotatable thereabout. The lower surface of the plate and the upper surface of the gear 15 are journal surfaces for the toy in use. It will be observed that the top head 17 of the rivet 16 is recessed below the top surface of the plate 13 in order that the toy may be used with either plate 13 or plate 14 uppermost.

The embodiment shown discloses a noisemaker element 18 disposed to cooperate with the teeth of the gear 15, and comprised of a leaf spring 19 having one end disposed intermediate two adjacent teeth of the gear and the other end secured by means of a rivet 20 to the bracket 21. Fastening means comprising rivets 22 serve to secure the bracket 21 to the lower face of the plate 13. In order to prevent rotation of the gear 15 relative to the plate 14, the latter is provided with a small recess into which the small extension 23, on one face of the gear 15, is snugly received.

-It is now seen that as the plate 13 is rotated about the axis of the rivet 16, relative to the plate 14, the end of the spring 1% adjacent the teeth of the gear will follow from tooth to tooth of the gear, and when the spring end leaves one tooth it will snap over to the next following tooth. When the plates are rotated rapidly, relative to each other, the sound is loud and crackling, hence very satisfying to children.

The device is also educational and developmental in that it may be employed to help develop the sense of balance. To this end, the device may be utilized with like devices, as illustrated by the devices 10, 11, and 12 of FIG. 1. One such way in which this is done is as follows.

Two, three, or more of the devices are placed on the floor, for example, spaced a short step apart. The child then steps on device 10 with the right foot, whirls part way around in a clockwise direction and then steps with the left foot on device 11, whirls completely around in a counterclockwise direction and then steps on device 10 with the right foot, whirls around in a clockwise direction and then steps on device 12 with the left foot, after which he whirls around in a counterclockwise direction and then returns his right foot to device lit-all of the action being continuous. With practice, an adept child can continue the action for quite a while.

The device is also adaptable to a party game, for example, in which the object is to see who can make the most complete whirling turns without letting the other foot touch the floor.

It is now apparent that only a single embodiment of the device has been disclosed but that a number of variations of structure are possible and readily apparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended that the following claims will cover all such structures as would be fairly obvious.

I claim:

1. An action toy, comprising: first and second plate like members; a central support member disposing said members adjacent each other and providing an axis of relative rotation of one member with respect to the other, said members thereby being disposed with the outer surfaces of said members in substantially parallel planes, the outer surface of one of said members being arranged to be faced down on a supporting surface, the outer surface of the other of said members thereby being faced up and adapted to support a person, whereby the person supported on the outer surface of said other of said members may pirouette about said axis with said one of said members stationary on said supporting surface; and first and second elements having respective, engageable means comprising a gear and an intermittently-tripped re- (B silient means cooperative with each other to provide an interrupted sensible manifestation upon continued rotational movement of one of said elements relative to the other, one of said elements forming a part of one of said members and the other of said elements forming a part of the other of said members, said central support member being disposed radially inwardly of said engageable means.

2. An action toy comprising: first and second plate like members; a central support member disposing said mem bers adjacent each other and providing an axis for relative rotation of one member with respect to the other, said members thereby being disposed with the outer surfaces of said members in substantially parallel planes, the outer surface of one of said members being arranged to be faced down on a supporting surface, the outer surface of the other of said members thereby being faced up and adapted to support a person, whereby the person supported on the outer surface of said other of said members may pirouette about said axis with said one of said members stationary on said supporting surface; and first and second noisemaking elements having respective, engageable means comprising a gear and an intermittentlytripped resilient means cooperative with each other to provide an interrupted audible manifestation upon continued rotational movement of one of said elements relative to the other, one of said elements forming a part of one of said members and the other of said elements forming a part of the other of said members, said central support member being disposed radially inwardly of said engageable means.

3. An action toy comprising: first and second plate like members; a central support member disposing said members adjacent each other and providing an axis for relative rotation of one member with respect to the other, said members thereby being disposed with the outer surfaces of said members in substantially parallel planes, the outer surface of one of said members being arranged to be faced down on a supporting surface, the outer surface of the other of said members thereby being faced up and adapted to support a person, whereby the person supported on the outer surface of said other of said members may pirouette about said axis with said one of said members stationary on said supporting surface; and first and second noiseinaking engageable elements cooperative with each other to provide an interrupted audible manifestation upon continued rotational movement of one of said elements relative to the other, one of said elements being defined by an interrupted surface associated with a part of one of said members, the other of said elements including resilient leaf spring means associated with a part of the other of said members, said central support member being disposed radially inwardly of said engageable elements.

4. An action toy comprising: first and second plate like members; pedestal means disposing said members in spaced apart relation adjacent each other and providing an axis for relative rotation of one member with respect to the other, said members thereby being disposed with the outer surfaces of said members in substantially parallel planes, the outer surface of one of said members being arranged to be faced down on a supporting surface, the outer surface of the other of said members thereby being faced up and adapted to support a person, whereby the person supported on the outer surface of said other of said members may pirouette about said axis with said one of said members stationary on said supporting surface; and first and second noisemaking elements cooperative with each other to provide an audible manifestation upon movement of one of said elements relative to the other, one of said elements being defined by an interrupted surface on said pedestal means, the other of said elements including spring means having one end thereof cooperative with said interrupted surface and the other end secured to one of said members, said pedestal means being secured against rotation relative to the other of said members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 174,704 Rice Mar. 14, 1876 801,876 Holmes Oct. 17, 1905 2,351,293 Saunders June 13, 1944 2,643,483 Walker June 30, 1953 

